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Health Articles Related to Neck Pain

How Does a Tens Unit Work on Muscle Spasm- Pain comes from electroechemical impulses relaying the pain message. A TENS unit interrupts this pathway. T.E.N.S stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. It is often used to treat low back pain and neck pain. Tens units use a low voltage electrical current to induce pain relief. Continue Reading Article

How To Avoid Neck Pain While Doing Abs- If you do your Abdominal crunches correctly with proper form, there is no reason to suffer from neck pain or sore neck. One of the biggest mistakes that people make is that involve there neck muscles while doing these exercises- that is a NO-NO. Bringing your head and neck forward puts unnecessary pressure on the neck and it is not healthy. So when you do your abdominal crunch look at the ceiling.Continue Reading Article

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

The Tri- Sectional hot and cold pack - this large 11"x15" hot and cold pack is amazing because it fits many areas of the body very comfortable. Use it on your low back, upper back or mid back area. Use it for hot or cold. Easy to use. Also great for extremities like your legs, arms and feet. Great for strains, sprains, soft tissue injuries, muscle spasms, tendonitis and arthritis pains.

A Pillow that is U Shaped and has a hot and cold pack built in: the Headache Ice Pillo - this u shaped pillow sits on your neck and upper back area and it great for headache sufferers. - great for patients with migraine headaches and tension headaches. If you have a pinched nerve in the neck, this ice pillo can provide a lot of relief.

Digital Moist Heat Pack - This heating pad can be plugged in and provides even heat that is comforting. The dimensions of this heat pack make it versatile to use on any part of the back: 14"x 27" is a great size.

Knee Hot and Cold Pack - the Elastogel Family makes a hot and cold gel pack with a cut out for the patella for knee pain patients. Comes in two sizes. This knee pad makes movement easier because of the flexibility of this gel pack

Thursday, November 09, 2017

A new study shows that not sleeping well has the same effect on your brain as drinking alcohol the night before. Your brain cells are affected and trying to get some rest.

This study found that sleep deprivation can make brain cells communicate slower and be more sluggish. This study was published in Nature Medicine. The implications of this discovery are important to recognize: If you’re driving on the highway and a car stalls out in front of you, for example, you might not notice fast enough to stop or swerve to avoid it.

Sleep Deprivation can Lead to Decline in Cognitive Performance, Study Shows

The effect of sleep deprivation is similar to what you would see if someone had been drinking. This can affect reflex times, reaction times and how you "see things". This new research shows lack of sleep actually slows down a region of the brain involved in visual perception and memory.

This UCLA study looked at the activity of individual brain cells in patients who were not allow to sleep. The scientists were able to monitor 12 epileptic patients, who were being kept awake all night before a surgery (to try to trigger a seizure). During this long sleepless night, researchers examined the activity of hundreds of neurons in each patient's brain. The participants also did cognitive exercises, such as face-matching. This allowed the researchers correlate brain cell activity with cognitive performance.

As the long night wore on and tiredness set in, brain cells became slower and slower to respond to cognitive tasks. When they did respond, their activity was sloppier than normal. It was noted that the firing of the neurons was weaker and slower, which consequently lead to mistakes. That’s how closely connected the performance of the brain cells and the performance of the person was. The researchers point out that the changes in cognitive performance that come with sleep deprivation is quite similar to the decline that comes from drinking alcohol.The effect is similar to what you see when someone has been drinking, said Dr. Itzhak Fried, a professor of neurosurgery at the University of California, Los Angeles. Making matters worse, while “we have ways to measure drunk driving, we don’t have fatigue measures,” Fried said.

Monday, November 06, 2017

In our daily life we have choices everyday to make when it comes to physical activity. Do you park a little further, and walk to your office? Do you go out walking at lunch time or text on your phone? Do you take the stairs or the elevator? Do you drive to the bus stop or walk to the bus stop with your child?

Which Will You Choose: the Stairs or the Elelvator

Being physical daily can be chore at times. To help you become more active, the National Library of Medicine recommends the following:

Instead of using the elevator, use the stairs

walk to a co-worker’s desk or office instead of sending an email or a text

park farther away in the parking lot to increase the distance you have to walk

join an exercise group - there is so much variety these days: belly dancing, step classes, spinning classes, bhangra dancing classes etc.

listen to your favorite artist or watch TV while working out to reduce boredom

Sunday, November 05, 2017

A new study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry found that a Cocoa Compound may delay or even prevent diabetes. This new animal study suggests that the anti oxidants found in cocoa powder may help slow diabetes progression. The study showed that cocoa contains certain compounds that can aid the body release more insulin and respond to increased blood blood sugar more effectively.

In the study, researchers found that when rats consumed a high content fat diet that included a cocoa flavanol called catechin, their bodies were better able to control their blood sugar levels. It's believed that the beta cells which produce insulin are particularly sensitive to oxidative stress and the consumption of catechin helps to protect such cells.

Blood sugar levels are better controlled with the consumption of catechin, a compound found in cocoa

A study co-author, Dr. Andrew Neilson mentioned , “These results will help us get closer to using these compounds more effectively in foods or supplements to maintain normal blood glucose control and potentially even delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.”

Personally, I am a big fan of chocolate. Unfortunately, much of the chocolate consumed these days is heavily laden with sugar and artificial ingredients. Check your ingredient levels and the amounts of sugar when consuming chocolate. Remember in this study its the compound found in cocoa that helps to control blood sugar levels. I think it is important to choose to eat foods with cocoa carefully.

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

My son started kindergarten this year. Shockingly his bus arrives at 7:10 am every morning to pick him up. That means that I really have to hustle to get things done in the morning. He has to wake up at 6, make his bed, brush his teeth, change into his school uniform... and the most important aspect of all: eat his breakfast. I know he could easily get a breakfast at school, like many of other kids at school, but frankly I don't trust the school. I would rather feed him a great breakfast myself to make sure he is starting the day right.

Breakfast on the Table... A vital start to the day even for kindergarteners'

A recent study shows that children who eat breakfast tend to be healthier and perform better in school than those who skip breakfast. There is a reason why breakfast has been for a long time considered to be the the most important meal of the day.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) offers these suggestions for making sure your child has a great breakfast:

Give your child healthy choices that you know he or she likes

A Great protein source is nut butters: peanut butter or almond butter

If your child likes sugary cereals, mix the sugary offering with a more nutritious option - My son loves lucky charms. I give me him a few lucky charms and also add in plain cheerios. I also make sure to give him fresh fruit on the side

If your child is especially active or is going through a growth spurt, they may need to eat more calories especially notably at breakfast

Thursday: home made pancakes with fresh fruit (pancakes and waffles freeze well by the way)

Friday: Oatmeal with fresh fruit, coconut and nuts

By the way, we need to finish breakfast in time so my son can go to the bathroom, get his socks on, watch Transformers Rescue Bots, and wait for Mom to get ready to walk to the bus stop. Mornings are busy busy- but worth it to get a good breakfast consumed every day.

In this study published in the Journal of Gerontology, researchers studied the effect of a 10 minute exercise program that included several high-intensity intervals on older, frail mice over the course of sixteen weeks. The study found that these mice experienced dramatic improvements in the following areas compared to mice in the other control group:

grip strength

treadmill endurance,

gait speed

muscle mass

If these findings apply to human subjects, then introducing seniors to this form of exercise may help them remain active and independent for longer.

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Study shows that exercise can improve a child's brain power. The children in this study were age 7 to age 13 and involved in short bursts of high-intensity training (HIT) for 10 minutes per day for six weeks.

Regular Exercise for kids is Important for Brain Health.

The study found that the children involved in this HIT group had greater improvements in memory tasks, memory tasks, information processing and behavior. This included the ability to focus on completing tasks without distractions, compared to the control group.

Well my newest is Thyme tea. Thyme tea is rich in volatile oils (Thymol), minerals, phenols, and flavonoids(apigenin, naringenin, and thymonin). In particular Thymol is a strong anti-oxidant. Find mall helps to increase omega-3 fatty acid’s in the brain. Studies have shown that time oil helps to protect age related changes in the brain cells of rats.

Benefits of drinking Thyme Tea:

It Soothes Coughs. Studies have shown that it can treat bronchitis, and provide relief for coughs

Thursday, October 19, 2017

According to the The American Psychological Association Yoga can ease Depression in patients. This 8 week yoga program can significantly eased depressive symptoms in patients. It also improved quality of life, optimism, mental function and physical function.

In another new study from Boston University, it was found that taking yoga classes 2x/week may help ease depression, especially do to the deep breathing.